MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

I wasn't sure what to expect from MGMT. I'd heard the name mentioned in conjunction with other bands that I liked and it had certainly gotten around on the blog circuit. But I avoided reading reviews for fear of contaminating my opinion. I thought what I would be hearing would be some sort of electro/punk style band.

That wasn't totally off-base, and yet, it totally was. There isn't anything trendy sounding in MGMT's debut, Oracular Spectacular. At the same time there are lots of recognizable sounds and ideas here. The first track I listened to, "Kids", made me think of the Scissor Sisters (I realized I had my iTunes on shuffle - it didn't feel like a first track). "Time To Pretend" still felt a little like Scissor Sisters, but I also felt like I was hearing some Arcade Fire there. There's a strong psychadelia component to the songs.

All of the songwriting here is really solid. None of the songs seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere, and at the same time, there isn't really any filler here. Strong back beats, light easy melodies, and high, sometimes falsetto, vocals carry you through the album with one foot in the 70s and one foot in 2008. The tinkling piano and the swanky singing of "Weekend Wars" is right out of Elton John's playbook. "The Youth" sails smoothly into Stardust-era Bowie. There's plenty of funk/disco to go around as well, especially on tracks like "Electric Feel". "Pieces of What" sounds oddly like a Violent Femmes song, yet still works in the greater whole of the album somehow.

Nothing in this album grabbed me and made me want to hit replay over and over. On the otherhand, I find myself grooving along to almost every track here. Each has its own charms, its own little world. Oracular Spectacular never seems like it's trying to overshadow it's influences either, rather MGMT come across as genuine devotees and audiophiles sharing their passion with us.

I'm looking forward to hearing some remixes as well. I have a feeling they'd tear up the dancefloor.

MP3: MGMT - Electric Feel Removed as per label request
MP3: MGMT - Kids Removed as per label request
Purchase through Amazon: Oracular Spectacular
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